Recorder.



YATENTED AUG. 15, 1905 G. N. BNGBRT.

RECORDER.

APPLICATION nun 00124, 1004.

a sums-sum 1.

Witnmou No 797,051 PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905'. G. N. ENGERT.

RECORDER.

APPLICATION FILED 06124, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2..

nwwsw, a GRAHAM cu, Puom-u'moomPnERs. WASHINGYQN b. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RECORDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed October 24, 1904. Serial No. 229,830.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE N. ENGERT, .a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, county of Daviess, and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Recorders, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to recorders of that general type employing acontinuously-moving paper ribbon, combined with indicating mechanismacting on the ribbon.

My object is the provision of a recorder of the class set forth havingimproved electrically-operated indicating or marking mechanism and noveldevices for stamping the time on the ribbon to disclose the periods whenthe indicating mechanism operates.

The resent invention is designed more particu arly for use attelephone-exchanges to make a permanent record of the period ela singbetween the time a subscriber calls an is answered by the exchangeoperator and also the time elapsing between his time of ringing off andthe discontinuance of the .connection, so that the manager may beconstantly apprised of the quality of service of any given operator; butthe invention is ,intended for use in any situation to which such adevice is adapted and its use is not necessarily restricted totelephone-exchanges.

The invention is set forth in detail hereinafter and the novel featuresrecited in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, artly in section;Fig. 2, a plan; Fig. 3, a etail of one of the pen-actuating devices;Fig. 4, a view showing the time-printing mechanism; Fig. 5, a viewshowing a modified arrangement of time- Lthe paper-holding rollers'2,which hold the paper ribbon 3, running freely from the roll 4, firmlyagainst the drum 1. Drum 1 is ,driven at a regular predetermined ratealways in one direction by clockwork 5 and is controlled by anescapement 6, the escapement-wheel being secured on worm-shaft 7,meshing with worm-wheel 8 on the drum.

As many independent styluses or markingpens 9 may be employed as founddesirable, one being used for each independent record it is desired tomake on the tape or ribbon 3, and in using the recorder attelephone-exchanges the pen or stylus used to indicate when thetelephonic service is discontinued or broken after the callingsubscriber has hung up his receiver will be supplied with adifferent-colored ink. The recording-pens 9 are carried by independentlevers 10, each having a short arm 11. The levers 10 are actuated byindependent springs 12 to cause the ens to bear on the ribbon or tape 3when the levers are released; but said levers are held normallyretracted by rods or slides 13 bearing either directly on the arms 11 orcoacting therewith through the agency of rockshafts 14. The rods 13 arepressed against the arms 11 by coil-springs 15 of greater strength thanthe springs 12. Connected to the respective rods 13 are armatures 16,pivoted at 17 and controlled by independent electromagnets 18. The rods13, related to those magnets which are immediately adj acent the levers10, may coact directly with the arms 1 1. With those farther removed therock-shafts 14 must necessarily be employed. According to the use towhich the invention is to be put will the various electromagnets 18 beembraced in circuit connections. In telephone-exchanges the magnets willbe wired, so that the proper one will be energized as soon as asubscriber calls and its recording-pen continue to mark the tape untilthe call is answered, and after the subscriber has hung up his receiverthe proper magnet will be energized and its pen will record the duration of time until the operator cuts out the line. In each instance therecording-pen makes a continuous line on the tape until theelectromagnet governing it is denergized by cessation of the current. Inthe modification of Fig. 10 the pen is normally retracted by a spring 12and directly actuated by the magnet 18.

The invention as described thus far is complete, and the inspector,manager, or other person wishing to learn the duration of a given markon the tape need only know the rate of feed of the tape through therecorder to tell the time which elapsed.

It will be obvious that the recording mech anism could be so arrangedthat the pens would make a continuous line on the tape, except when theelectromagnets were energized, and would then be withdrawn, so that thebreaks in the line would indicate the duration of time of energizationof the electromagnets.

It is desirable to use a time-stamp operating in conjunction with thepaper tape to in dicate thereon the exact time which elapses in anyinstance, and the following mechanism carries out this object. Referringfirst to Figs. 4 and 5, the numerals 19 and 20 represent printing-wheelshaving raised numeral-type on their periphery, the former running inregular series from 1. to 12 and then repeated to represent the hours,and the latter from 1 to 60 to represent the minutes, or the hours mayrun from 1 to 2 1 to distinguish a. m. from p. m., or, as shown in Fig.9, two wheels 21 and 22 may be employed to represent the minutes, wheel21 representing units of minutes and wheel 22 tens of minutes. In anyinstance the printing-wheels are suitably connected by gearing 23 to theclockwork, so that at stated intervals a type is presented under tape orribbon 3 in proper position for printing. The numeral 24 represents ahammer positioned to deliver a blow on a suitable inked ribbon 25 andthence on the tape 3, whereby the imprint of the type is'made on thetape 3. The hammer is carried by a springarm 26, pivoted at 27 and heldagainst a stop 28 by a spiral spring 29 in a position slightlyremovedfrom ribbon 25. Connected to the spring-arm 26 is a trip-lever 30,positioned for engagement by and subsequent release from the pins on atrip-wheel 31, which is suitably geared to rotate so that it will coactwith the lever 30 at the proper time. As shown in Fig. 8, two of thesetripwheels 31 may be employed and the triple ver 30 made movable, sothat it can be shifted for engagement by either trip-wheel, said Wheelsbeing so geared that the hammer will be actuated at more frequentintervals by one than by the other. At the proper time the nearest pinon trip-wheel 31 engages lever 30 and retracts spring-arm 26 against theaction of spring 29, and thereafter the lever 30 is released andspring-arm 26 flies back against stop 28; but the inertia of thespring-arm 26 causes it to bend when arrested by the stops 28 and thehammer 2 1 delivers its blow on the ribbon 25, causing the impression ofthe type 011 theprinting wheel or wheels to be made on the tape 3,

' after which the hammer flies back to normal position.

As shown in Fig. 5, the printing-wheels may be disposed in offsetarrangement relatively to the paper-feeding drum 1 and suitably gearedthereto, in which case the paper tape first passes over the drum andthen beyond to the printing-wheels. The printing operation is as beforeoutlined; but the time record is slightly in advance of the line orbreak made by the pen, though this makes no difference in thecalculation, as the intervening space on the tape is always taken intoconsideration.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown another adaptation of the invention wherea photographic film, sensitized paper, or similar strip is used in placeof the paper tape 3 and suitably protected from extraneous light by thecase 35 of the machine, in which are slits 36, taking the place of therecording-pens, said slits being controlled by shutters 37, operated bythe electromagnets. The shutters could be arranged to normally remain opn or closed to cause breaks to be made in the exposure of the film tothe light or cause exposures when the electromagnets are operated.

In operation when a given electromagnet 'is energized on some act beingperformed the recording-pen or the shutter, whichever is used, isoperated and the record made on the constantly-moving tape, and thetimestamping mechanism indicates at regular periods the time of passageof the tape, thus disclosing the time at which the record is made andthe duration 0 this record. On deenergization of the electromagnet there cording operation ceases, but the tape contmues its movement.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a recorder, means for feeding a tape, recording means cooperatingwith the tape by which a record can be made on the tape, and atime-stamp comprising a rotary printing device bearing printingcharacters representing the hours and minutes over which the tape moves,a time movement for turning the rotary printing device, inking means, aspring-actuated hammer adapted to deliver a blow on the tape, means foarresting the hammer to hold it normally away from the tape, meanspermitting the hammer to move by its inertia beyond its normal point ofrest when released in order to deliver the blow on the tape, and meansfor automatically operating said hammer at predetermined times to printtime characters at regular intervals on the tape.

2. In a recorder, means for feeding a tape, recording means cooperatingwith the tape by which a record can be made on the tape, and atime-stamp comprising a rotary printing device bearing printingcharacters rcpresenting the hours and minutes over'Whieh the tape moves,a time movement for turning the rotary printing device, inking means, ahammer having a spring stem or handle, a stop for engaging thespring-stem to arrest the hammer and hold it normally away from thetape, an independent spring cooperating with the hammer to hold itagainst its stop, and means automatically operated by the time movementat predetermined times for operating said hammer to print timecharaoters at regular intervals on the tape.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of tWoWitnesses.

GEORGE N. EN GERT Witnesses:

JOSEPH P. KIEFER, N. A. HARTIG.

